Loved You First (Jenlisa) COMPLETED

14

There was something about the April Showers Festival that made the word feel infinitely more exciting. Perhaps it was the fact that the whole town came together in celebration. Or maybe it was the cover bands that played in rotation on the stage at the back of the fairgrounds, the ones that made Jennie want to dance the whole time she was there. Or even more likely, it was the amazing food booths that she took pleasure in hopping between, sampling all the sinfully wonderful options. Whatever it was, she looked forward to it all year, even if it meant a ton of work for the bakeshop.

As was tradition, Flour Child had a small but dignified booth at the center of the concessions section. This year, they were selling caramel apple wassail, white chocolate macadamia nut cookies and, of course, Nini's Truffles. The truffles were making their grand debut that afternoon. And after only being open an hour, the booth was already picking up buzz.

"I'll take a half dozen of the truffle thingies named after you," said Yoona, Jennie's neighbor from two doors down. "The ladies from my bridge club said I had to come try them out, and I always listen to them."

"Coming right up."

Jennie handed the chocolate to Yoona in their customary wax paper bag with the bakeshop's name stenciled along the bottom.

"Let me know what you think, and if you like them, tell your friends."

But before she could move on to the next customer in line, Yoona bit right into one and grinned.

"Amazing," she breathed. "Don't worry, Jennie. I'll tell everyone I know." She looked down at the truffle in her hand, shook her head in wonder, and headed off with her remaining chocolates.

Another satisfied customer.

"Nini, you think we made enough of these things? We're an hour in and already hitting our stash pretty hard."

"No worries. There are more at the shop."

She grinned triumphantly, and though it was still early, that's kind of how she felt. Triumphant. Bold. She was taking control of her life lately and if felt good.

Nayeon slung an arm around Jennie's shoulders.

"My, my. It seems our fearless boss has thought of everything. When bonehead gets here, we can send him back for more inventory."

"Nayeon, can we maybe not call Kai a bonehead? He's a member of our staff and just as deserving of respect as the rest of us."

"If you say so. And out of loyalty to you, I will try not to call the bonehead a bonehead."

"Thanks for going out of your way."

Nayeon placed a big smacking kiss on her cheek. "Anytime."

As the hours rolled by, the bright blue sky dimmed and made way for the twinkling of stars. The crowds increased exponentially as did the line at the Flour Child booth. In good news, her shift was almost over and she could head out into the world to enjoy the festival. The carnival rides were now lit up with neon, and as she handed the customer his change, she stared at the towering Ferris wheel in the distance.

Her nemesis. The great big circle of terror. Satan's bicycle wheel. The symbol of all her fears rolled into one.

Saying she was afraid of heights was an understatement. And after a widely witnessed freak-out on the ride when she was twelve years old, she steered clear of the thing. Even the sight of it sent a terrifying shiver through her.

Every once in a while, she'd start to feel a little courageous and wonder if she could ever give it another go. You know, conquer that fear once and for all. But the answer was always no, she'd decide most matter-of-factly. She could not. Her fear of heights and rides and all things scary was just something she'd have to live with.